Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said on December 20 that Macao's return "marks a new milestone" on the road towards China's complete reunification.

Zhu made the remarks at a grand reception held in the Great Hall of the People to celebrate the return of Macao to the motherland.

Zhu told an audience of over 4,000 that "the Chinese and Portuguese governments have held a successful ceremony for the transfer of government of Macao, and the Chinese government has resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao."

The establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region ( Macao SAR) has been proclaimed and Macao has returned to the embrace of the great motherland, he said.

He described Macao's return as "another historic event for the Chinese nation following Hong Kong's return to China."

"It marks a new milestone on the road towards the complete reunification of China and is a major triumph for justice and the progress of mankind," he stressed.